Renters’ Rights Act: enforcement is no longer just a threat
Over the last few weeks, there has been a quiet but important shift in the background of the rental market and the Renters’ Rights Act, and many landlords have not fully clocked it yet.
The government has now committed £60 million to local authorities to help enforcement of the Renters’ Rights changes.
On the surface, that may sound like another headline. In reality, it changes the game.
For a very long time, landlords have heard about new rules, new responsibilities and new penalties. But one of the biggest questions has always been whether local councils would have the time, training or resources to enforce them properly.
That question is now being answered
Councils are not just being given more responsibility. They are being given the funding and backing to act. And more importantly the Renters’ Rights Act sets out that local authorities must report what they are doing to improve things to the local housing – no doubt that will mean “how much have you taken in in fines”.
That matters, because the private rental sector is already one of the most heavily regulated parts of the housing market. There are more than 170 pieces of legislation that landlords are expected to understand and comply with.
That includes Gas Safety Regulations, Electrical Safety Standards, Right to Rent checks, deposit protection, prescribed information, EPC rules, licensing where applicable, and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
And that is before you get into how those rules must be applied in practice.
Most landlords are not deliberately cutting corners. In our experience, the issue is usually much simpler than that.
Things get missed
A certificate expires and is not renewed on time. A document is served, but not in the right way. A tenancy file looks complete, until you check whether the correct versions of each document were issued to every named resident. A process that worked a few years ago may no longer stand up today.
Up until now, many of those gaps have gone under the radar.
That is what this funding changes.
It increases the likelihood that technical mistakes will be identified. Not just major problems, but the smaller compliance gaps that many landlords assume are “fine”. And this is where the real risk sits.
The Renters’ Rights era is not simply about adding one or two new rules
It is about tightening the whole system. Once that happens, anything that is not quite right becomes much more visible.
For landlords, this means enforcement is no longer something to think about only when a complaint is made. It needs to be part of how a property is managed from the start.
The landlords who will stay ahead are the ones who do not wait for a problem. They will review where they are now, check their paperwork, sense-check their processes, and make sure their property would stand up to scrutiny if challenged.
We have already started working through this with landlords across our portfolio — reviewing tenancy setups, identifying gaps, and tightening the areas that need attention. In most cases, it is not a disaster. But there are almost always areas that need improving.
If you are unsure where you stand, now is the time to find out.
Book a Landlord Advice Call with us and let us help you understand what needs checking before enforcement catches up.
Local Council Enforcement
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